Great look in detail of five films made in 1967. While I wouldn't consider them as revolutionary as the writer does, it's a great page turner about thGreat look in detail of five films made in 1967. While I wouldn't consider them as revolutionary as the writer does, it's a great page turner about the end of the old studio system and the birth of a new, somewhat freer system. Important read for anyone interested in working in entertainment business...more

Engaging and realistic portrait of the hypocrisies and realities young women from Muslim countries most reconcile as they move West, hypocrisies thatEngaging and realistic portrait of the hypocrisies and realities young women from Muslim countries most reconcile as they move West, hypocrisies that are often their own. ...more

A fast read that is a good insight into how "the other" looks at the "white man" and his need to be accepted and to stand his own ground at the same tA fast read that is a good insight into how "the other" looks at the "white man" and his need to be accepted and to stand his own ground at the same time....more

Stomach punching young love isn’t just for the young in this novel in which Alec Hudson gets a second chance, and Fiona Edwards falls head over heelsStomach punching young love isn’t just for the young in this novel in which Alec Hudson gets a second chance, and Fiona Edwards falls head over heels for the first time, despite her 20 years of marriage to a decent enough guy. It is slightly reminiscent of The Bridges of Madison County but without going overboard with the sentimentality and love at first sight clichés. The setting, a sheep farm in picturesque Wales, is as compelling as seeing how Fiona and Alec negotiate the obligations of middle age and the obstacles within ourselves and in the world we live that are hurdles to new beginnings. As an aside from the romance of the Welsh mountains, this novel reminds us of the heavy price that is often paid by the people who give us food for our tables....more

During my tour of The Night Counter, I was often asked either “What writers have influenced you the most?’ or “Who are you favorite writers?” I have nDuring my tour of The Night Counter, I was often asked either “What writers have influenced you the most?’ or “Who are you favorite writers?” I have no answer for the first because to say Gabriel Garcia Marquez influenced me is to say that I’ve made some conscious choice to use his style or tone in my own work, which I haven’t, nor would I be comfortable implying that by being influenced by him my work stands should-to-shoulder with his. I’ve been saying One Hundred Years of Solitude is my favorite book since I read it for the first time 20 years ago, long before I’d ever contemplated writing a book myself. I’ve said that based on that ‘wow’ feeling I had reading it. But in recent years, it seems like nearly every other person I meet mentions it as his or her favorite. My favorite book had become a favorite book cliché. I felt every time I said that people were thinking “well, she’s just taking her cue from Oprah.” I’ve taken my cue from Oprah on several occasions, but when she chose it for her book club, I didn’t pull it out again. I don’t tend to re-read a lot because I love reading so much and there is so much more for me to get to. But as my tour began, I started feeling like literary cheese mentioning One Hundred Years of Solitude.

It was a book I’d randomly picked up at a bookstore, nothing I had studied in school. When I read it then, I had barely ever had a job, hadn’t finished all my education, hadn’t been to the many places that did indeed influence me, and hadn’t met the many people who would yes, influence my life, for better or worse, hadn’t seen babies grow into adults, watched marriages end under a multitude of circumstances and new ones begin, and hadn’t watched global events change the dynamics of the world I lived in. It was also before the Internet, e-mail, cell phones, and so many other things that have affected our attention spans and the speed at which we get information, including fiction. Twenty years is a lifetime ago, let alone one hundred. And then there are all the other great books I’d read since then, although none ever seemed to roll off my tongue as easily when the word “favorite” comes up.

So I decided to read it for a second time, the first fiction book for grown ups I had done that with in almost as long as I can remember. I found my old copy and discovered my first revised reaction: I could no longer read without strain the small print like I had before. Rather than consider getting reading glasses, I purchased a new copy with bigger type and began reading. The first couple of pages sucked me in as before, but now I had more demands on my time, and so couldn’t devour books for the long periods I used to, and reading a book over several days or weeks is not the same as in two or three days. Nor was my memory as clear as before: The first time I read it, I didn’t have to keep referring to the family tree to keep the Aureliano Buendias and Jose Arcadios straight, but unlike before I realized, having had to name a large cast of characters in The Night Counter, the repetition of names symbolized the families repetition of life’s mistakes. The book is also paced at the pre-Internet speed, indeed at the speed of a small village in the middle of nowhere South America, a little slow for me now.

There were parts of the book that made my stomach churn in ways that it had not before, particularly what now seems an almost cavalier depiction of incest. On the other hand, although I had lived through war as a kid, I did not appreciate the truth in the cavalier way he treats the death tolls of war and plague as I did in this reading. And I had not battled insomnia to appreciate the humor in the village that no longer sleeps. Magical realism was not a word I was familiar with back then, but the mastery with which he wove it in is even more of a marvel to me today as a writer. I could go on but suffice to say it’s still a brilliant book, but parts of it strike me differently.

Would I still say it is my favorite book? It was still an undisputedly unique, original transportation into a tragically magical place, a clearly allegoric third world town, with obvious comparisons to South American but also the Middle East realities. (Qaddafi anyone?). But with time I’ve learned that when it comes to things and children, it’s best not to have a favorite soda, a favorite shade of lipstick, or as I’ve discovered a favorite book. Today it’s one of my favorites, along with Anna Karenina, Cry the Beloved Country, Pippi Longstocking and a host of contemporary novels.

Just like homes, maybe with books too, you just can’t quite go back, at least not the same way....more

Judy Moody is no Harriet the Spy or Pippi Longstocking but she is fun (how could she not be with that name). I'm on a kick now reading my 7-year old nJudy Moody is no Harriet the Spy or Pippi Longstocking but she is fun (how could she not be with that name). I'm on a kick now reading my 7-year old nephew's top picks. Judy is a modern day Beverly Cleary character, but not really that modern--she's not obsessed, at least so far, with Xbox and her cellphone--so she's modern day in the best sense, kind of like Charlie Brown's Lucy, she could fit in any time period as a fun, sassy gal that even boys can read without getting annoyed. ...more

Ugh--teaming with cheesy dialogue and cliches. But dang it all if I didn't keep reading it to see what happened next. And it did get you thinking abouUgh--teaming with cheesy dialogue and cliches. But dang it all if I didn't keep reading it to see what happened next. And it did get you thinking about the power seats behind religion....more

What more can be said about this book's disturbing, unforgettable troubled title character without making this book go into the overrated category, anWhat more can be said about this book's disturbing, unforgettable troubled title character without making this book go into the overrated category, and it doesn't deserve that. So just let it be know that this is a good, sometimes disturbing and deeply touching read....more

As I'm off to visit my parents, I was trying to find some books around the house to take with me for my father. It's hard for him to get to bookstoresAs I'm off to visit my parents, I was trying to find some books around the house to take with me for my father. It's hard for him to get to bookstores and there are no libraries near him, and so I always give him my hand me down books--well, the books I can hand down to my father. We're separated by gender, age, personal interests and culture, so not all books, whether in English or Arabic, translate. So this morning when my eyes fell on Water for Elephants, I was thrilled. Yes, I liked it, yes, my dad will like. How many books can I say that about? Sara Gruen's simple prose conveys a small story with universal appeal and a decidedly uniquely setting and era for forbidden love and temptation....more

If you want to read this book for its literary merit, then you're probably not going to like it. It is written by a very young woman who has no previoIf you want to read this book for its literary merit, then you're probably not going to like it. It is written by a very young woman who has no previous writing experience, so to judge it in a literary context would be unfair and irrelevant. However, as a window into Saudi life and love, it is a good book. Not because it shows you the dark, scandalous side. Quite the opposite: it shows the innocence and naivite of segments of the society, particularly wealthy young females who--along with the writer-- confuse infatuation with love and love with a guarantee of marital bliss. It is a life formed within the constraints of their families and with the visions of too many soap operas from around the world. As an exploration of relationships, this about at the level of TWILIGHT, i.e. rather early adolescent,a stage that the GIRLS OF RIYADH inhabit, for better and worse, for a far longer time than their Western counterparts....more

According to 12-year old Paloma, Renee Michel, her building’s middle-aged concierge, is like the hedgehog: “a deceptively indolent little creature, fiAccording to 12-year old Paloma, Renee Michel, her building’s middle-aged concierge, is like the hedgehog: “a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary –and terribly elegant.” Paloma and Renee are the protagonists of this little hedgehog of a book, with its simple tale of an autodidactic concierge and a hypersensitive adolescent and their observations of their buildings tenants, observations they make while going practically unnoticed themselves. It’s a bit of a sweet, touching fable, with philosophy that in the hands of a pop psychologist could be converted into a self-help book for those not willing to acknowledge their own worth—or in pop psychology terms, people with low self-esteem issues. From Paloma telling us that she would find her sister’s appreciation of the mating habits of queen bees disturbing if she were her boyfriend to Renee deploring the overuse of the comma in expressing oneself, the book needs to be read in small doses to absorb Renee and Paloma’s streams of consciousness. For the action driven, the book lags in plot until the last third, when it takes off in a heartbreaking and nonetheless uplifting conclusion. Oddly reminiscent of another French winner, The Little Prince, only even more complex in its simplicity....more

Another book I picked up because I enjoyed talking with the author so much when I met her at the Dubai Festival of Books. I thought that I would readAnother book I picked up because I enjoyed talking with the author so much when I met her at the Dubai Festival of Books. I thought that I would read a few pages of it over a month or so but found myself two days later staying up half the night to finish it as I was so enthralled with the story and the main character’s will to survive, saved and damned by her wisdom and naivite along the way. But most of all, I like how the writer surprised me by avoiding the clichés of melodrama—characters don’t fall in love when the standard formula says they will, others don’t die when the formula says the will, even though the tone of the book fairytale-like. The vivid picture the novel draws of 16th century Iran is spellbinding, and also a reminder that for women in many places in the world, life is on the verge of reverting to such repressive lives, with a troubled society, money, and/or foreign businessmen dictating their futures. A great read into the past and I reminder about the present....more

Nearly everyone has that person in his or her family who is teetering on the edge of crazy. But when they fall off the edge, who will take care of theNearly everyone has that person in his or her family who is teetering on the edge of crazy. But when they fall off the edge, who will take care of them and, in the case of this novel, their children? In the Flying Troutmans, the responsibility falls on to Hattie, 28 and left classically heartbroken by her Parisian boyfriend. She comes back to Canada partially to heal herself and partially to deal with her sister, badly in need of going away for a while, and her two children, Logan, 15, and Thebes, 11. Unable to sit in the house with their confusion and unhappiness along with her own, Hattie takes them with on a road trip to find their father. Written more like a screenplay—with jump cuts and all--than a novel, this travelogue of disappointment and hope sparkles with characters that are poignant, funny, odd and resilient, all teetering on the edge of the madness that has gripped their mother and sister but bound together by the need to keep moving rather than sit and wait for madness to come to them, even if it means filling up the silences with questions like “who would you rather date, George Bush or Frankenstien,” questions that really mask bigger questions about love that the author mercifully refuses to deal with in a more obvious manner. Like all good screenplays, this one might merit a sequel, as we still want to know more about what happens to Hattie and her family....more

Written by one of the great editors of one of the U.S.’s finest decades of cinema, the 1970s, Walter Murch is part psychologist philosopher and part eWritten by one of the great editors of one of the U.S.’s finest decades of cinema, the 1970s, Walter Murch is part psychologist philosopher and part editor in this short treatise on film editing. Written before the digital age, it talks to students about the aesthetics and psychology of editing, rather than which key on your keyboard to press, which seems to dominate so much of the education surrounding editing today, with the technology overtaking the storytelling aspect. As a teacher myself overwhelmed with the ever changing technology, I sometimes get so involved in explaining the technical aspects of Final Cut Pro that I don’t spend enough time with the real question of editing “Where do you make a cut—or do you even need to make a cut?” And how do you take 40 hours of film and distill it into 120 mind-blowing, compelling minute? How does an editor jump forward and backward in time and space to best tell a story? At its most simplest, Murch says it is with the blink of an eye. When the audience is ready to blink, it’s time for the editor to cut. But cut to what? There are nearly infinite possibilities to combine a series of shots. But he reminds us that the ideal cut should, in descending importance, take in the following: emotion, story, rhythm, eye trace, two dimensional plane of screen, and the three dimensional plane of screen. (The first three are obviously extremely connected). He also talks about the importance of letting go of the filming once we get into the editing room, so that our choices are not determined by how hard certain shots were to get but rather decide based on what shots best serve the story. He recommends working with stills taken from the film to make up the story first. The way the pictures collide together when mounted on the wall may lead to a new way of looking at things. Once you have your fist cut, he recommends looking again at the original footage—things have changed now and maybe there is something in the original footage that could really help you out now, time permitting. Test screenings are good for blind spots, but give the audience time to digest. Ask them to call the next day with any other thoughts they might have—and don’t operate on the elbow if they say that’s where they feel the pain. Examine everything connected to the elbow to see where the real problem is. The only part of the book that is unnecessary is the comparison of digital and film editing equipment, probably out of date even before the printing. However, Francis Ford Coppola is right in saying the Murch is full of “guidance and nourishment.” And at the end, Murch tells us the best thing an editor can remember is that we see films the way we see dreams, in cut up pieces that connect together in some magical way. So perhaps editors should consider themselves dream makers. ...more

I read this book by sheer coincidence the day before I went to the occupied territories for the first time. I read it because I had just been given thI read this book by sheer coincidence the day before I went to the occupied territories for the first time. I read it because I had just been given the book by the author, a lively, highly educated woman with whom I shared much in common during her short visit to Abu Dhabi. This was her memoir about growing up in Ramallah during and after the 1967 war that put the last of Palestine under Israeli control. As I read it, I realized how little our childhoods had in common and I thought of how much so many of us bear in childhood that doesn’t show up in social situations as adults. The poverty, instability, and constant fear of the writer’s life is told with such matter of fact simplicity and without any anger or self-pity, although it inspires anger and sorrow in the reader. Having met the author before reading it, it makes you realize that most of us who function in life as competent, life-affirming adults do so by not holding on to anger or self-pity, even if others can justify it for us. This is a quick read and tells the story of the occupation from the view point of its children, in this case through the eyes of an adult who grew up to deny it its secret power by revealing it in heartbreaking simplicity with her pen. When I arrived at the concrete wall that now blocks entrance to Ramallah the day after reading her book, I watched how yet another generation of children has to bear the sorrows and physical and emotional pain of the occupation, this time within an even bigger prison. And yet these children, like the author of Tasting the Sky, smile and welcome you to their home, for it is what it is and there is always hope and faith....more

So many childhoods in the Middle East have been interrupted by war, and yet children--and teenagers even more so--go on growing, enveloped in their owSo many childhoods in the Middle East have been interrupted by war, and yet children--and teenagers even more so--go on growing, enveloped in their own angst, particularly within the middle and upper classes. This novel captures a girl that embodies so many of the conflicts of her time-Palestine, Iraq, Eygpt, Kuwait--and yet battles the conflicts of her family, her hormones, and her dreams with endless energy and conviction. In this novel, multiculturalism born of necessity leads to the the creation of things such as the "zaatar burgers." The odd but sadly recognizable scene of a woman screaming "First you take my land, now my Guccis" at an Israeli soldier who has just searched her at the border and other such observations by the narrator are what remind us that humor is what sustains us through crisis, both external and internal. And in the Middle East, no matter how positive or self-obsessed one is, one always wonders, as does the teenage narrator, how many more wars there will be in her lifetime, nevermind that of her children. ...more

I've been waiting to have the time to sit down and read this book--one of the few books I seem my female students eagerly devouring. I expected to hatI've been waiting to have the time to sit down and read this book--one of the few books I seem my female students eagerly devouring. I expected to hate it. I didn't. The Romeo and Juliet meets The Beauty and the Beast (only the beast is handsome) meets Beverly Hills 90210 meets a Harlequin romance story kept me turning the page, even when the romantic cliches and dialogue made me groan. Not so sure it sends the right message to girls, however: it perpetuates the idea that love is chemistry-driven and requires no commonality and friendship, as we never really see the couple doing anything together but professing how much they love each other, and it does imply that a woman in love is supposed to lose all her common sense, but that's okay because the man (or vampire)will always know what to do. Then again, it sets us up for a little reality as well--after all, what women hasn't faced a man who simply couldn't read her mind as much as she hoped he could. ...more